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The efficacy of thymosin alpha-1 therapy in moderate to critical COVID-19 patients: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression

Soeroto AY, Suryadinata H, Yanto TA, Hariyanto TI. Inflammopharmacology. 2023; 31(6):3317-3325.

PubMed 37845598 · doi:10.1007/s10787-023-01354-2

Meta-analysisImmune functionThymosin alpha-1

Pools the results of several trials. Only as reliable as the trials it includes.

Where this design sits

  1. Cells in a dish
  2. Animals
  3. Small human report
  4. Controlled human trial
  5. Pooled analysis (this study)
Who or what was studied
Eight studies of people with moderate to critical COVID-19
Design
Systematic review and meta-analysis; Scopus, Europe PMC, Medline, ClinicalTrials.gov and Cochrane searched to 25 March 2023

What it found

Pooled across eight studies, patients given thymosin alpha-1 had a lower risk of dying (risk ratio 0.59; 95% CI 0.37 to 0.93), but no clear difference in needing a ventilator or in length of hospital stay. Results varied a great deal between studies, and the mortality effect was related to study size and to sex.

What it doesn’t show

The abstract does not say how many of the eight studies were randomised, and it reports very high between-study variation (I² 84% for mortality), so the pooled number is fragile. The authors themselves say randomised trials are still needed to verify it. It covers hospitalised COVID-19 patients, not prevention or healthy adults.

Funding and conflicts of interest

No funding or conflict-of-interest statement appears in the PubMed record. Check the full text.

Summary written from the study's abstract and checked against PubMed on November 10, 2026. How we check studies. Educational information, not medical advice.

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